There’s no footage on the site, no release date and no price.

But it’s clear that Panasonic is going to be the first camera manufacturer to release a camera that shoots like a DSLR but has features made for professional film and video production.

Here’s what you’ll like about this:

• HD-SDI output for true HD monitoring and recording direct to disc (uncompressed output? not defined at this point).
• XLR mic inputs supporting professional mics and systems (can we assume standard audio controls and meters? – it would seem likely).
• Records to two SD cards rather than CF cards and can work with 64GB SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
• Records continuously to the two cards – no more 12 minute limit for clips.
• 1080 from 59.94i to 23.98p and 720 from 50p to 23.98p to fit most project requirements.
• Dynamic Range, Gamma Select and other image features inherited from previous Panasonic professional camcorders means you can get the look you want in-camera or create your own super-flat profile for more flexibility in post.
• Designed like a professional video camcorder with a form made for shooting video and variety of buttons and controls (full functionality not defined at this point).
• Standard 4/3′s DSLR lens mount plus adaptor for standard PL mount film lenses – your current lenses may work and you can go for professional film lenses when you need them.

Here’s what you may not like about this:

• AVCHD recording format means high compression – the copy on the site does promise “maximum AVCHD bit rate” in a professional PH mode but exactly what that means is not defined.
• 4/3-inch sensor will not have the same look as a full size sensor on the Canon 5D and it’s even more cropped than the 7D and T2i – 2x versus 1.6x (more on this later).
• Price is an unknown but, as reported here and other sites, the list price when this camera was announced was $6K USD – less than a pro video camcorder but more than the cost of three Canon 7D bodies or eight Canon T2i bodies.

Let’s talk about the effects of the sensor size first.

The Micro 4/3 sensor on the AG-AF100 measures 17.3mm x 13mm. The APS-C sensor on a Canon 7D measures 22.2mm x 14.8. That means the Panasonic has a 2.0 crop factor. And that means a 50mm lens on the AG-AF100 will look like an 80mm lens on a 7D and a 100mm lens on the Canon 5D.

If you need a wide angle shot, you’re going to need an extremely wide angle lens.

On the other hand, you’ll get great telephoto shots with normal lenses with this camera. It all depends on how you look at it and what your needs are.

More information about sensor size here.

As for image quality, that’s the sum of many factors.

A Micro 4/3 sensor is still much larger than the sensors in most high-end HD camcorders so you’ll still be able to get the shallow DOF we love in DSLR cameras. Not as much as on a 5D but more than a regular video camcorder by far.

Another important factor in image quality is the compression rate of the camera. If you can tap the HD-SDI port on this camera and record uncompressed video straight to a disk the resulting image will be stunning. You would need to spend many times over the cost of the AF-AG100 to get a higher quality image. That’s a big “if” right now as we have no data.

However, the files recorded to the SD card system in this camera will be highly compressed. Until we see actual footage we won’t know how well Panasonic managed the compression.

And, while it is possible to edit AVCHD clips directly in a timeline of some editing systems, you will almost always gain more than enough flexibility to make transcoding a good idea. You may even save enough in final render time to regain the lost time in your overall workflow.

What’s Interesting

• While there’s a view finder on the back of the camera, there’s no LCD monitor visible on the camera. It looks like there’s a fold-out panel on the side that is likely an LCD monitor.
• There will be no auto-focus. While this means nothing to all film and professional video shooters, I’m always amazed at the interest in auto-focus while shooting with a DSLR. It must be something that photographers are into but they won’t find it here. All the lenses that fit this camera are manual focus only. Looks like you’ll need a decent follow-focus for the budget as well.
• No electronic zoom either. The film shooters and photographers don’t care about this one but those video guys are so used to just hitting the zoom rocker for lovely sloooow zooms. Zooming while shooting on this camera will take a very steady hand.

I expect a lot of moaning and groaning from all sides. The T2i market will complain about the price and the 5D market will complain about the sensor size and the price. The video market will complain about AVCHD compression versus RED codecs. Sony lovers will complain about Panasonic user interfaces and wonder why the Sony didn’t include XLR and HD-SDI connectors on their new camera.

And, in the middle of all this, a bunch of people looking for a great camera at a great price will jump on this and start making the films they’ve been dreaming of.

With the original announcement, the release date for the Panasonic AG-AF100 was “the end of 2010.” It looks like they are serious about that date. We’ll stay tuned for more information.

And, no, this isn’t the end of DSLR video. I believe it’s the start of a transition to a new category of video cameras and it’s a great thing.

Here are some options:

• You can buy a JuicedLink DT454 for $419
• You can buy a BeachTek DXA-SLR for $399
• You can donate $25 to Tramm Hudson to support Magic Lantern development

Tramm isn’t asking for your $25. He’s not asking for any money. But it seems to me that it’s worth $25 to move this effort forward.

Isn’t having decent sound on a T2i worth as much as a cheap dinner out for two?

He’s already got a good start as you can see on the Wiki.

I don’t recommend installing the pre-alpha code unless you’re highly technical and extremely bored. Funny how those two things seem to go together a lot.

But I do recommend taking the step to make a donation to Tramm. I don’t know him personally but I do know that there are few things more encouraging than someone sending cash to tell you they appreciate your efforts.

Here’s how to do it.

Click here to go directly to PayPal.

Click here to go to the 5D Magic Lantern wiki, scroll to the bottom and click on the PayPal link.

I sent my donation because I know how much time and effort goes into building and supporting a product. I appreciate Tramm’s efforts and look forward to enjoying the results.

I prefer using a separate audio recorder but there are times when it would be great to just plug in a small shotgun mic mounted on the camera and start shooting.

Click here to donate on PayPal

Give me an unlimited budget and I’d buy one of everything. Then I’d shoot with each one until I found my favorites. The rest would go on a shelf, waiting for the perfect occasion.

But I don’t have an unlimited budget so I was glad to find BorrowLenses.com.

Of course, you don’t really get to “borrow” their lenses. They rent them out for three days minimum. If you need the equipment longer you can choose a term of from one to four weeks.

You can reserve an item in advance and they ship it to you so it arrives on the date you choose. There’s no deposit charged to reserve your equipment.

When your shoot is over, you put the lens back into the box it came in, stick on the return label and drop it off at FedEx. Simple.

They also rent most of the other production equipment you might need, from memory cards to camera bodies, filters, monitors, meters and even water housings.

The prices are great. For $35 you can check out a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for three days. This lens will cost you around $600 so spending $35 to have three days see how it works for you makes lots of sense. For $52 you can shoot for a week and get to know the lens really well.

If you’ve got a couple of projects to shoot you can rent it for a month for $149. In a month you could shoot, edit and deliver more than enough work to afford to buy your own.

Which is exactly why I found these guys.

I’ve got an upcoming project where I’m going to need a couple of fast, high-quality lenses. It would be a stretch to buy lenses just for the two days of shooting. But I can easily rent them for a week, get the shots I need and still be profitable.

If you have a fixed schedule they recommend getting the lenses a couple of days in advance so you’re not at the mercy of shipping delays.

I’ll want at least a day to get a good feel for the lenses and I have a travel day to get to the shoot. So I’m renting for a week just to be safe.

Besides the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, I’m getting the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L. That’s almost $2,000 in lenses that I’ll be working with for a total cost of $171 – including shipping and insurance.

So, if you’re trying to decide which lens to buy and need more time than you’ll get standing at counter in a camera shop or have a specific need for a project, check these guys out – BorrowLenses.com

If you’re worked with them or any other lens rental shop, let me know.

-a-

PS – I just became an affiliate of BorrowLenses.com and appreciate your support

Magic Lantern – 550D/T2i port from Trammell Hudson on Vimeo.

If you want to shoot high-end video with this camera you’ve had to use a separate microphone and audio recorder to capture high-end audio. That’s all changing.

Magic Lantern is a firmware hack for the Canon 5D MarkII that turns off the auto-gain in the audio recording section of the camera. It adds stereo audio meters, audio level control and other features to make the camera more usable for professional video recording. Now it’s coming to the Canon T2i (55oD).

Here’s what the programmer of Magic Lantern has to say:

I am very proud to announce that we have started support for the Canon 550D / T2i in a branch of the Magic Lantern tree. Thanks to the assistance of arm.indy and an anonymous contributor, we were able to sign an initial Magic Lantern firmware image and port the existing code to work with the version 1.0.8 firmware in the 550D.

The first version will have audio meters, lens data and maybe manual audio gain plus monitoring on the A/V jack. I haven’t found the liveview video ram device yet, so zebra stripes and histograms won’t work for a little while. There might also not be a menuing system initially since there are no “spare” buttons on the 550D in movie mode and we still do not have a way to integrate with Canon’s menus.

Here’s the link to the thread on dvinfo.net.

This is “pre-alpha” – right now he’s demonstrating audio levels only and the installation process is complicated.

Here’s the link to the installation instructions and file download.

I do not recommend installing this version. Wait until the beta version with all the features is ready. You may be wise to wait until a fully tested 1.0 version is released.

Still, this is exciting news and I’ll be giving it a try as soon as the beta is ready.

Leave your comments and let me know what you think.

-a-

Conventional wisdom says that you need a stable tripod with a smooth fluid head for shooting professional video. And that’s what I recommended in the Buyer’s Guide.

But Rodney Charters, DP for the Fox series “24″, in a recent interview on ProVideo Coalition had this to say about shooting with DSLR cameras.

“Park the camera.”

Check Philip Blooms videos and you’ll see that most of the shots are static. If the camera is moving it most often is mounted on a slider. Sometimes you’ll see a smooth, slow pan.

So, why would you spend hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars buying a high-end fluid head then just “park the camera”?

I received an email from Scott, who purchased the DSLR Video Buyer’s Guide, with this same question:

I’ve found your guide and website very helpful already. I did have one question, though, that I hope you could perhaps help with.

I’m preparing a line of guitar lessons to be sold online and I need to add some video guides. Digital audio is my strength, and I’m only learning how to speak the video language.

Your buying guide and website have confirmed that the Canon T2i is likely the best camera for me. Fortunately for me it’s under $1,000, because I actually need two of them (one for each playing hand at different angles).

You also confirmed that a Sennheiser lavalier and Zoom H4N were the best ways of capturing audio. So far, my instincts have proven to be good ones.

However, I am on a relatively limited budget, and I don’t think there’s any way my boss (i.e. my wife) will let me spring for $1,500 for a couple of the Manfrotto tripod stands your eBook recommends. She’s onboard with the cameras, Final Cut Studio (we already have a couple of good Macs), a $700 lighting kit, but I think a grand and a half for tripods would put her (and our budget) over the edge. I’m running out of money, and I haven’t even shot a single frame yet!

Regarding my needs, please know that the tripod will be used only for indoor use and no panning or the like will be involved. The tripods will be set up once and remain stationary during the entire shoot, so the “glide” and ability to remain stable during hurricane force winds are not a factor. It needs to be stable for light indoor use, but still high quality.

It’s clear that Scott would be wasting good money on high-end tripods. After reading Rodney Charters’ interview, I think most people need a better way to shoot solid DSLR video than the conventional fluid head video tripod.

I wrote Scott back with some affordable camera support alternatives:

Jobi GorillaPod
The Jobi GorillaPod Focus and Ballhead bundle is a heavy duty flexible table-top tripod. You can wrap the legs around most anything if you take it on location. I have a couple of sizes and use them all the time. You need the Focus model to handle the weight and the ball head will give you all the rotation and angles you need.

SLIK Video Sprint
If you want the lowest priced regular tripod with a ‘fluid-effect’ head I like the SLIK Video Sprint II Tripod.

It’s very light weight, easy to carry and fairly stable. The head has some smoothing action to it so you can do a pan if you need to.

I use an old trick to smooth out pans – get a large rubber band and tie it to the handle. Use the rubber band to pull the pan and it dampens the movement so much you can actually start or end a pan while shooting.

I had a SLIK that I loved for years until someone liberated it from me. For $90 it’s hard to beat.

Davis & Sanford PROVISTAGR18
Looking on B&H I found this David & Sanford video tripod with lots of positive reviews at a cost of about $160. One reviewer called it “the poor man’s Manfrotto.” Another had used several high-end pro tripods and said it performed very well at a much lower cost. I haven’t used it personally but B&H is great about returns so you can see how it works for you.

Hey, it even comes with a carrying bag.

So, you can lock your DSLR camera for great stable shots without spending hundreds of dollars. You just need something that works for you.

What’s your experience? What works for you?

-a-

PS – have you checked out the Resources section of this site? More good stuff there.

“When I started looking in here I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I’m just confused.”

I understand exactly how he feels. I went through the same thing when the Nikon D90 first came out. It’s worse now with all the different cameras and gear to choose from.

That’s why I wrote the DSLR Video Buyer’s Guide.

(Click here for iPhone/iPad version on youtube.com)

I have over 30 years in the production business and decided to put that experience into helping people make confident choices. This guide will help you know what’s right for you and your production style.

I cover all the key equipment areas – cameras, lenses, support systems, audio, and all the rest of the kit. For each category I break out what’s needed for Basic, Intermediate and Advanced productions. I also take a look at each category from the perspective of a Photographer, Video Professional and Aspiring Film Maker.

Plus I’d loaded it up with tips, tricks and techniques to help people get started in DSLR video.

Click here to get your copy right now - http://dslrhd.com/buyersguide.

Last week I had an email from a reader with a ton of questions about which camera to buy. He’s an aspiring film maker and was stuck on which camera and lens to buy to get started.

I sent him to the DSLR Video Buyer’s Guide. Here’s the email I got back.

“I read the whole thing through then went out and bought a Canon T2i. The guide was super useful, I really appreciate the work you did here.”

So take a look and let me know what you think – http://dslrhd.com/buyersguide

I look forward to seeing your film on the web.

-a-

Enter your email and I’ll let you know when I
post more information like this is online.

Take a moment and leave your comments and questions below.

“I just got a T2i kit (18-55mm). I also got a zoom lens (EF-S 55-250mm) and I considering buying some more equipment. I’m a high-end amateur photographer and in the past years fell in love with video editing too. I use to do my short movies on my Canon HV-10, but I always missed some of the more advanced options (such as a mic input). I plan to shoot most of my videos on the T2i now and I was wondering if I should invest in an mic + ext sound recorder or mic + prime lens? The options I’m considering are “Azden SMX-10 + Zoom h2″ or “Azden SMX-10 + Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II”

Interesting question! Plugging any microphone directly into the Canon T2i is going to result in an audio track that is noisy and poor quality. I’ve tried it and, from my point of view, it’s not usable audio for anything more than a reference track.

Plus, any microphone mounted on the camera will not capture the sound of your talent several feet away. The microphone needs to be as close to the talent as possible. So the Azden SMX-10 into the Canon T2i is not a good choice.

The 18-55mm kit lens and the EF-S 55-250mm will not shoot good video in low light. My recommendation would be to go for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II prime lens for low light video.

For a recorder/stereo microphone I would get the new Zoom H1, which includes a nice stereo mic built-in plus has a 1/8″ microphone input, “VU” meters, and a headphone jack for $99.

I would also recommend a wired lavalier microphone like the Audio-Technica ATR-35S for $29. Plug it directly into the H1 hit the record button and drop the H1 into your talent’s pocket just like you would with a wireless transmitter. You’ll get great sound with no wireless interference.

The Zoom H1, Audio-Technica ATR-35S and Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II will cost around USD $240 total. All three for less than the cost of the Azden SMX-10 and the Zoom H2. You’ll get high quality audio and a prime lens for low light video.

Just keep the mic as close to the source of the sound as possible and check everything with headphones or ear-buds.

-a-

There are three important lessons this video can teach film makers about DSLR video.

“Apple of My Eye” – an iPhone 4 movie / film -
UPDATE: Behind the scenes footage included
from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.

#1 – Play To Your Strengths

While I’m sure they struggled with the limitations of this camera, one of its strengths is that it’s light-weight and very small.  Someone on the team must have been looking at the iPhone and wondered, “What if we mounted it on a model train and went for a ride!”

While there are other small HD cameras that could have been used – like the GoPro HD – they used the thin, light-weight form factor of the iPhone 4 to get shots where most cameras would never fit.

There is power in taking a limitation and turning it into an advantage.

For instance, if you’ve got a Canon T2i and are using the 18-55mm kit lens you’ll find it’s very hard to focus manually. I saw this as a limitation when I first got the camera and believed I’d need to replace the lens. Then I discovered how to use the auto-focus while shooting video and everything changed.

Auto-focus on the T2i is fast, accurate and can even be set to find and focus on faces. While you can’t use it when recording video, just click the shutter part-way down while you’re setting up the shot and it will hit the focus in a couple of seconds.

What looked like a problem became a strength when I worked with the tool rather than fighting it.

#2 – You Have To Shoot It Like A Movie If You Want It To Look Like A Movie

Check out the credits and making-of shots in this project. From top to bottom, they had people to play all the major production roles:

• They filled the key roles of Director, Producer, Set Design, etc. Even if the same team is just ‘changing hats’ it’s important to make sure the key roles are covered.
• They had a Writer. It’s true, all good movies are made from good scripts. This one came up with a sweet story that even leaves you wanting to know more as the movie ends. That’s good writing.
• Professional talent in front of the camera makes a huge difference in the emotional impact of the work.
• Original music grabbed your attention and led you through the emotional story line.
• No zoom? No problem. They used a variety of camera support equipment including dollies, glide tracks and cranes to move the camera into the action.
• The lighting was solid and fit the mood of the piece.
• They recorded the voices after shooting the video (ADR) and mixed them into the final sound track to get the best audio.
• The editor understood how to use the language of cinema to tell the story and maxed out the functions of the editing tool.

One of the things that impressed me about Vincent LaForet’s first DSLR movie – Reverie – was that it looked like a good movie in all respects. The fact that it was shot on a DSLR was stunning but it would have been worth watching no matter what the camera.

Making movies is not like shooting video for events or training. It’s not like shooting stills. Yes, they share common elements but the depth of skill and the breadth of specialties required for movies is unique and demanding.

If you aspire to make movies with a DSLR you may want to forget the camera for a while and learn more about the art and craft of movie production.

#3 – Movies Are Made For The Audience To Enjoy

I remember the first time I saw one of my productions on a large screen. No only were the sound and images completely different from all the times I watched it in edit suites and conference rooms, the reaction of the audience changed everything for me.

I realized that my job was to create entertainment. Sometimes the film had to help sell a product or influence opinions and beliefs. Sometimes it was to convey information required to get from point A to point B.

But if that was all I did then the film became one of thousands of meaningless productions cranked out like someone mowing a lawn.

The concept of an iPhone HD movie made me willing to take a look at this film. The opening shot and the entrance of the actors looked nice, kept me watching for a bit more to see what else they did with the camera.

But when they dissolved to that first train shot with the music twinkling magically, I forgot all of that and slipped inside their movie completely. I had to force myself to stop now and then to check out the tech. That’s an entertaining movie.

It’s a lot more work to get into the head of your audience and create something that speaks their language, something that pulls them in and entertains them, maybe even something that brings a deeper emotional moment to their lives.

But that’s the key to making movies that will keep you working in this business for years, no matter what camera you shoot it with.

Take a moment and leave a comment, let me know what you think.

-a-

Here’s why.

I just took delivery of a Canon T2i and went for a walk around the lake shooting in the dusky sunset. I came in and remembered I needed the plugin from Canon to get the footage into FCP.

A quick download and install and…

Nothing but a warning that FCP Log and Transfer could not work with the files. Hmmm.

Google to the rescue and within a few minutes I found the problem. Seems Canon did not include the T2i in the cameras supported by the new plugin.

After shaking my head, wondering what they were thinking, I found several work-arounds.

1. Use MPEG Streamclip
   This is a great tool and it’s free. I use it for transcoding D90 footage and gave it a try with T2i footage. Sure enough it did the job just fine. It even allows for batch operations, though it adds several steps to the process. And the user interface is more than clunky, it gives you lots of options for screwing up the process.
2. Use Compressor
   Create a formula you like for transcoding from the H.264 format to the ProRes flavor of your choice, save it out as a droplet then drag-and-drop files all day long. Like MPEG Streamclip, it doesn’t care if you’ve copied the files from your SD card to a folder on your machine. Effective but not great if you want to batch a lot of clips.
3. Hack the Canon plugin
   Seems it’s possible to use a text editor to open the camera plist simply add the T2i to the list of supported cameras. It didn’t work for me on the first try but then I found someone who suggested putting the T2i at the top of the list and that did the trick. Now I could just stay in FCP and use Log and Transfer just like when I bring in footage from the Sony HVR Z5. Not particularly fast but effective. Of course, you have to either work with the files right off the SD card or transfer them wrapped up as a group for later transfer in a special way. Otherwise, you’ll lose the hidden formatting codes and the files are unreadable by FCP.

Then I remembered reading about a new tool from Magic Bullet called Grinder that was made just for getting Canon clips into ProRes. A few clicks and I’d downloaded and installed a trial copy.

One transfer and I bought it.

I’m working on an iMac with the i7 processor. Grinder spread out a clip to each core, all running full tilt. Not only was it much faster than any other way to get the files transcoded, it was super simple to setup. The phrase “fool proof” comes to mind.

You get a few choices for the output and a Start button. Nice and easy.

If you edit off line or need to send copies of your clips to someone else for review you can also create proxy files. Choose the size, type of proxy and what kind of timecode you want burned in and click Start.

Grinder works for clips from the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II as well so if you’re one of the lucky shooters with all three cameras you’re good to go.

Here’s the link to download the trial copy.

http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/magic-bullet-grinder/

Let me know what you think – is this the perfect solution for T2i transcoding to ProRes or what?